. . . he studied Bach obsessively, and his devotion to the composer, and complete understanding of his idiom, is everywhere apparent here. This is a self-recommending issue . . .

Record Review /
Classic FM (London) / 15. October 2016

. . . [these sessions] reveal Perahia's Bachian mastery at full capacity. The pianist's full and luminous sonority almost disguises the fact that he mainly achieves his clear line playing and colorfully subtle textures through finger power and hand balance, pedaling ever so sparingly. Each of the opening Allemande movements unfolds with spacious eloquence and subtle tonal gradations . . . Perahia's Menuets are gorgeously articulated, with imaginative and meaningful shifts in emphasis on the repeats and a sense of "air" between the notes that is easier to perceive than to describe. He phrases the E major Gigue's imitative writing more cogently than any other pianist I've heard on disc, and treats the D minor Gigue's dotted rhythms with the swagger of a French Ouverture . . . Note, too, the C minor Gigue's quickly flickering ornaments on the repeats . . . I have no hesitation in placing Perahia's French Suites alongside -- and at times a step or two above -- our longstanding [piano reference versions] . . .

Record Review /
Jed Distler,
ClassicsToday.com / 19. October 2016

A handsome two-disc set . . . These French Suites exhibit all the buoyancy and spirituality that are his hallmarks . . . In Perahia's hands every note of the music sings and its siren beauty is surely impossible to resist.

As we expect from Perahia, everything sounds natural and inevitable. Ego doesn't come into it: rather, he acts as a conduit between composer and audience with a purity that few can emulate . . . Take the opening Allemande of the Fourth Suite: in Perahia's hands it's a sinuous, conversational affair and the way he colours the lines as Bach reaches into the upper register is done with enormous subtlety. Or sample the Sarabande of the same suite, simultaneously intimate yet with true gravity. He brings out the left hand's largely stepwise motion to a nicety -- sometimes reassuring, sometimes questioning . . . [in the Gigue of the Fifth Suite,] the rhythms are bright and springy, full of energy without freneticism, and joy is palpable in every note. Or that of the Second Suite, which again sounds completely inevitable, even when he spices it, on its repeats, with dazzlingly daring ornamentation that underlines the inherent dissonances within Bach's counterpoint . . . Perahia's ornamentation could fill the review on its own, for he's happy to take risks, yet they never sound like risks, so firmly are they sewn into the musical cloth . . . I've only had this recording for five days but I predict a long and happy future in its company.

Record Review /
Gramophone online / 08. November 2016

. . . so joyously conceived, so full of insights is this Deutsche Grammophon French Suites debut, it proves to be a decidedly auspicious one . . . The Gigue of the C minor Suite No. 2 buzzes like a wasp trapped in a jam jar, and there's no lack of muscular resolution in the Suite No. 4 in E flat major's Gigue, or its French-style D minor counterpart . . . Perahia is unrivalled in coaxing a subtle dialogue in the dances . . . Perahia's effortless variety of touch, love of teasing voice-leading, and conversational affability would have it no other way. His tempos feel exactly right . . . and the saucy twinkle of the G major Gavotte (No. 5) is emblematic of a set whose "galanterien" unfailingly scintillate . . . Perahia ensures that somehow each aspires to more than the sum of its aristocratic parts . . . [even the rhythmically idiosyncratic Loure from the G major Suite] emerges here uncommonly natural and unaffected . . . this is a set that gets ever more persuasive on repeated listening.

This is one of those sets which you know is "right" from the first little ornament Murray Perahia throws in to the descending opening phrase of Bach's Suite No. 1. Ornaments and extra passing notes are just that with these performances -- not big stick-out features of the music, but essential little touches of colour and curls of gold-leaf that make this into something delightfully Baroque, even though we are of course listening on a modern instrument. Perahia doesn't imitate harpsichord sounds even though his use of the pedal is quite sparing. Impeccable technique is the surface gloss on interpretations that are carefully considered, with the balance between voices, harmony and rhythm creating what might arguably be considered ideal performances . . . With superb sound and superlative performances this has to be counted a resounding success . . . Even if you have a truckload of recordings of the French Suites in your collection you are going want to add this one to their number once you've had even the briefest whiff of its rather magical qualities.

The pianist's debut recording for Deutsche Grammophon has deservedly won many admirers.

Record Review /
BBC Music Magazine (London) / 01. March 2017

Clarity and pureness of articulation, coupled with impeccable musicality, have long marked Perahia's Mozart; here they illuminate Bach . . . This release is of a similarly exalted level, the superb recording-perspective warm yet fully supporting Perahia's textural transparency . . . the performances are fully about Bach, not Perahia, shining with honesty. Technically, every Suite is impeccable, not just in terms of surface delivery but also in touch and rhythm . . . Perahia's achievement is to convey the glorious diversity of Bach's invention in these works: the famous Gavotte of Suite No 5, deliciously despatched, lies next to a limpid "Laure". An indispensable release, not just for lovers of Bach, but for all musicians of whatever shade.

. . . Perahia playing the six French suites surely sweeps all concerns away. He plays with elegance and taste . . . He sounds like he really enjoys playing the works. As a result the music dances and sings as it should and must. DG's recording sounds warm and rich, yet dynamically incisive and effortlessly clear and detailed. The quality of the sound mirrors the warmth of the playing, and enhances the appreciation and enjoyment of the music.

Record Review /
Jimmy Hughes,
Hi-Fi Choice (London) / 01. March 2017

Almost universally, Perahia is praised for his luminous beauty, control, balance and clean articulation in this repertoire. Those elements are not missing in his latest release . . . [Perahia sets down] a record of his estimable artistry on the French Suites.

Record Review /
Alex McGehee,
Fanfare (Tenafly, NJ) / 01. July 2017

. . . this is special indeed . . . What has always characterised Perahia's Bach is a sense that you are encountering Bach the man, rather than Bach the god. It's as if Perahia is simply acting as conduit between composer and audience, so subsumed is his ego into the music-making itself . . . each suite unfolds with an inevitability that comes from long acquaintance between music and interpreter. It speaks of a probing musical intelligence too, though to label Perahia simply as an "intellectual" pianist would be misguided, for this is playing that conveys real joy.

. . . [Perahia] plays with elegance and taste . . . He sounds like he really enjoys playing the works. As a result, the music dances and sings as it should and must. DG's recording sounds warm and rich, yet dynamically incisive and effortlessly clear and detailed. The quality of sound mirrors the warmth of the playing, and enhances the appreciation and enjoyment of the music.

Murray Perahia - Bach - The French Suites (Trailer)

On October 7 Murray Perahia releases his first album for Deutsche Grammophon presenting Bach’ French Suites. He sees the French Suites as “Bach on the highest level”, adding, “I don’t think Bach wrote one note that didn’t have wider meanings and that wasn’t to be tackled with all one’s heart and soul.” His recording revels in the music’s diverse moods, from melancholy tenderness to out-and-out joy, and brings out every nuance of its elegant phrasing and expressive dance rhythms.

Video

Murray Perahia - Bach - The French Suites (Trailer)

On October 7 Murray Perahia releases his first album for Deutsche Grammophon presenting Bach’ French Suites. He sees the French Suites as “Bach on the highest level”, adding, “I don’t think Bach wrote one note that didn’t have wider meanings and that wasn’t to be tackled with all one’s heart and soul.” His recording revels in the music’s diverse moods, from melancholy tenderness to out-and-out joy, and brings out every nuance of its elegant phrasing and expressive dance rhythms.